Being Civil
by DrekkDeina
Summary: My portion of the What If story thus far, denoting a tale in an alternate reality that mimics something like the American Civil War. A fox as a courier and a rabbit who gets a bit too trigger happy, leading to her playing nurse and questioning her role in her warren as part of her family.
1. Chapter I

**Edited by BeecroftA**

 **How did I get here? What If?**

 **I stepped into another portal again didn't I? Well let's have fun with this. Who wants a story from me for this whole thing here?**

 ***crickets chirping***

 **At least the crickets are on board…**

 ***crickets stop chirping***

 **Oh, you guys are pawful…**

 **Well… TOO BAD! I'm writing one.**

 **Enjoy, fav, follow, review, and grab that strange snack (that's right, I'm still doing that, Cimar's story or not). Today I have some pasta drizzled in blueberry syrup and frosted with powdered sugar and chocolate chips.**

 **Additional Note: I realized I never released this on my own account. So... for those who missed it... here is the first chapter of my part of the "What If Collaboration"**

* * *

"Would you get in there?" a feminine voice grunted.

"I'm trying to get in," a male retorted.

"Just lift a leg and get in!" Judy demanded.

"We're not in any rush, so why are you?" Nick asked in kind.

"I'm just excited… Okay?" the doe nervously replied. The tod rolled his eyes with a smile, finally hopping in the P.I.X.A.R. machine. At first, he was just being annoying by being sloth-like, but now… he was darn near laughing at the inadvertently risqué mentions she was making.

"So who picks this time?" Nick inquired as his mate jumped in, trembling with excitement. Judy looked at him with a smug smirk, raising a clenched paw and putting it on her other open one.

"Usual game?" she asked, to which her fox nodded, his own smirk growing.

"You're on," came the red fox's confident answer. The two began their game of Rock, Paper, Scissors.

"Rock," Judy said.

"Paper," voiced Nick.

"Sci…" the grey rabbit began, being cut off by her fox putting the helmet over her head. Before she could remove it to tell off her fox, the lights and sounds began. "You cheater!" she seethed.

Nick apparently took the chance where she was focused on her own paw to slap the headset on her and select a random choice, not even properly looking himself as he donned the set.

"It's called a hus…" he began. Her furious furry fist of fury found his arm, with stunning accuracy considering she couldn't see him.

"Shut up."

The two laid back, smiling, as the world around them became foggy, though it wasn't the type that one usually saw during a humid morning.

* * *

The setting sun left a painted sky in its wake, almost making the clouds themselves look lit aflame. A rolling fog wisped its way through the trees and fields. It was like a blanket over the land…

And that was likely a good thing, at least in that moment.

Judith slammed her shutters closed as tight as they would go, willing the acrid and sour stench of the fog to stay out of her room. In any other circumstances, she might have liked the 'fog', but it was no fog like those misty mornings that left a cool dew on the grassy fields of her family's farm.

It was a fog of war. Cannons were blazing and gunfire occasionally popping off in the distance. Howls, screeches, and screams echoed through the air.

This particular battle had been raging for the better part of a week, though the war had been going on for nearly three years. The once great nation of Animalia, split down the middle as the southern regions seceded due to differing ideals, political sway, and the increasingly unbalanced prosperity happening in the North from an industrial revolution that threatened the economy of the South.

Her family's farm was in one of the regions that was on the border between the split nation. Even now, multiple soldiers, wounded from days past, were resting and healing in the large foyer area.

On this wondrous evening, the bunny was trying to drown out the sounds of battle by humming and keeping her paws busy with a most tedious task. Whilst frustrating, her younger siblings did need to have their clothing regularly patched and repaired, being as active and rambunctious as they were. Judith's eyes squinted, as the candle in the now darker room was no means to sew by.

Turning back to the window in a huff, the angry doe flung open the shutters once more, cursing internally that responsibility trumped her comfort at this juncture.

Why couldn't the mammals out there live in peace? Why couldn't they realize this was a war for the same things that history lessons always warned against? Why couldn't they all just get drunk and fall asleep for a night, leaving her in peace?

At the very least, they could find a much more remote region to duke it out, instead of…

There was a rustling of movement in the distance. A few bushes near the edge of the homestead were moving. Judith looked around, gauging the wind by observing the other plant life nearby. Nothing. There was almost no wind. Certainly nothing strong enough to shake some low- lying bushes into shivering like they were cold.

The grey doe sighed heavily, figuring this was another poor soul, crawling their way to the nearest homestead to receive treatment. She knew she should probably warn the others, but she wanted a distraction. This would suffice.

Silently padding out of her room and down the hall, Judith made her way quietly out of the house, making a short detour to swipe her father's gun from the mantle of his study. She had absolutely no idea if there was any danger from the mammal but better safe than sorry.

It was a strange thing, supposedly of its own kind, the gun looked like the pistols she'd seen some soldiers carry, though they called them 'revolvers'. Whatever the case, it was simple to use and easy to aim.

Taking off, out the door and into the fields at the fading light, Judith went towards the source of what she previously spotted. The bushes were still now, but she approached with caution. Holding the gun tightly in one paw, using the other to part the leaves and branches for a better view….

Nothing…

The rabbit's face contorted into a motley collection of emotions. Confusion, anger, and a tepid amount of relief. She sighed heavily, relaxing her arms and letting the gun point harmlessly at the ground.

A snapping twig perked the bunny doe's ears, her head whirling around to view its origin. Though her ears were sharp, her vision wasn't, affording her only a shady blur of a mammal darting away from the brush and towards one of her family's barns.

With as much of a growl as the bunny could muster, Judith pumped her legs as hard as she could, determined to catch up with the obvious intruder. The blur was becoming clearer in her vision, as her eyes adjusted as best they could. All she could make out was some rusty- looking fur and blue attire.

Noticing the intruder was almost at the open doors of the barn, Judith skidded to a stop and took aim.

' _Crack!'_

The gun went off and sent the arms bracing the grip up, the kickback far more powerful than she would have surmised. The sudden shock also threw off her sense of balance, the rabbit teetering backwards and landing heavily on her rump.

The grey doe had clenched her eyes shut at the pain of her landing, though not before seeing her inexperienced aim somehow hit her target, making the mammal in question trip and roll into the barn over the last few feet between the intruder and the open gate of the barn.

Judith also picked up a whining yip right after the shot rang out, making her feel a slight swell of pride in hitting her intended target.

She got up and brushed herself off, walking quickly, but still carefully, to the barn, gun again at the ready. While dark, her exceptional hearing helped to pinpoint the stifled grunts and whines of pain.

Judith looked down to see small drops of blood decorating the well trodden dirt floor if the barn. A lantern sat upon a table just inside the gate, to which the doe wasted no time lighting with nearby matches. She closed the little hatch after properly lighting the wick, holding the gun in one paw, lit lantern in the other.

Following the sounds of pain around behind a stack of hay bales, the grey bunny found her quarry.

A red fox, dressed in Northern blues and wheezing in pain, lie clutching his side before her. Blood seeped slowly from the wound he covered with a black and red furred paw.

"What are you doing here?" Judith asked sternly, setting the lantern down to hold the gun with both paws.

The fox looked at a loss for words for a moment, catching his breath from the injury to his side.

Finally, he breathed out, "I'm a messenger. I was cutting through your farm to avoid the battlefield."

"Coward?" she snipped at him.

"Priorities," he fired back. "I must… deliver a correspondence…" There was grunts of pain between his words.

"Name?" Judith demanded. The fox shook his head in the negative.

"Not telling," the tod vented in a pained hiss. The doe stepped slightly closer, her intention being to make the gun more menacing by being in his face. He sighed.

"Tell me… or I shoot you."

"What importance does my name have for you anyways, bunny?" the red fox sassed back at her, the pained whines still permeating his words.

"I… it just does!" Judith fired back.

"No matter," he remarked as evenly as his heavy breathing would allow, "you won't be shooting me either way."

"Oh, really?" the doe questioned with a slight smirk. "Because I'm a bunny? Or a female? You think I don't have the guts?"

The fox shifted and made a deadpan expression at her, pointing with a free paw at her gun.

"No, I'm well aware the you have the guts to shoot me, thus indicated by my wound, however…"

"Yes?" the doe smugly enticed him to continue.

"...you have to pull the hammer back on the gun," he finished.

Judith blinked and looked down at the gun. Sure enough, the hammer that hit the shell in the revolver wasn't pulled back. She heard a click and looked back at the fox in mortified realization.

"Now then…" the fox started, his own gun in paw and pointing it at the bunny doe, hammer pulled back, "please drop it and kick it aside."

Judith grumbled but did as told.

To her great surprise, the fox smiled and put away his gun, then holding out a paw.

"Now that we're on the same level of conversational exchange, with no ice breakers pointed at one another, my name is Nicholas Wilde."

Her eyes darted to the gun, still wary of the red fox, but choosing to internally groan and shake his paw.

"If you'll excuse me," Nicholas then said, attempting to get up, "I'm going to find my troops for medical attention." He then wheezed and fell back, the pain renewing itself upon trying to stand and knocking him back down. The grey bunny instantly felt a bit guilty at having caused the wound to the mammal, who still tried to retain a sense of civility and politeness in her presence. Most of the wounded soldiers she tended to, or even perfectly healthy ones that passed through, were quite foul of the mouth and just as much with the eyes.

"Just… hold on a second," the rabbit demanded, darting off go grab some supplies from the other side of the barn. Having tended to a few wounded in the barns, when the foyer would be full, it wasn't entirely out of place for her family to keep medical wrappings and few other needs nearby. The property was quite large after all.

Upon coming back, Judith saw the blood drops on the floor of the barn. With her arms full of medical supplies, she deigned to kick some dirt and stray straw over the blood, hiding it from whoever may come to investigate.

When she arrived back behind the hay bales, she frowned upon seeing the stubborn fox trying to stand once more. Padding forward, she pressed a paw to his shoulder.

"Down," Judith commanded him. The tod did not comply, at least not at furst. "Comply with me… and I'll tell you my name. Deal?" The grey doe half expected him to make a remark about why he should care about her name but, surprisingly, he laid back down and allowed the bunny to do her work.

Lifting the side of his jacket and undershirt, Judith put the lantern next to him, lighting up the wounded area. A small bullet hole bleed slowly at the outermost edges of his side, just above the hips. Pressing a paw to the area, looking for an exit wound, she made the tod whine in response.

"Oh, relax, Nicholas," the grey rabbit chided, grabbing a small, corked bottle from her medical kit. "It's just a through and through." She then pulled out a tongue depressor, wooden slat. "Open."

The tod complied, if not reluctantly, thinking the bunny had other ideas. Instead of examining his throat or tongue like doctors, she put the slat in sideways. Before he could comprehend everything, Judith's paws worked in a practiced flurry, having done this a few times with the wounded mammals and her own siblings if need be. She clamped his muzzle shut around the depressor slat, uncorked the bottle and doused a small bundle of gauze, then used her paw to press it around his wound and let the alcohol- soaked fabric burn into his side, effectively cleaning the entrance and exit.

Nicholas's eyes bugged out as Judith held his muzzle shut, a whimper tickling her ears and the sound of claws instinctively unsheathing reaching her as well. To his credit, the doe had to admit he was doing rather well, only digging his claws into the ground or kicking a leg sporadically. Other mammals she's administered attention to usually needed helping paws to hold them down when they would thrash and jerk around.

Not wanting the alcohol to do too much to him, considering it could cause some inflammation if left sitting too long, the grey bunny pulled the gauze away and grabbed another corked bottle, full of boiled water. She gently rinsed the recently sterilized wound and started wrapping a long roll of fresh gauze around his middle, leaving a cloth patch over the wound.

Barely a couple minutes later, she was finished and the fox collapsed in a heap on the bed of loose hay beneath him.

"Ugh… you are both a demon and an angel," Nicholas seethed in pain. "Thanks… even if it was your fault in the first place." Judith furrowed her brow and scowled at him.

"I'm not apologizing," the bunny doe deadpanned. "I thought you were a vagabond here to steal our stores or something, after throwing out the first idea that you were another injured soldier."

"What stores?" he bluntly asked. The rabbit gestured around her ambiguously.

"You have nightvision."

In response, Nicholas gazed around, his eyes adjusting to what Judith knew was there, but she couldn't currently see.

"Oh…" the tod breathed. Crates of freshly harvested produce was placed up in the upper level of the barn. "You sure love carrots, don't you?" Judith rolled her eyes.

"We farm plenty of other things, too," she rebuked him with a tinge of venom to her voice. Ready to list off everything they could and had farmed, Judith's ears perked as she suddenly doused the lantern light, but not before picking up the gun she cast aside unwillingly.

"What's wrong?" he inquired, a little panicked.

"Shh…" the doe hissed at him. Nicholas scowled but complied.

"Who's in there?" an authoritative voice called out. The tod noticed that the rabbit before him ever so slightly lowered her ears at the dominant call. She sighed and left the cover of the hay bales, the fox tensing in a bit of fear. He hadn't a clue whether the others in her family would have her same level of bedside manner… or much worse.

Approaching her father, Stuart Hopps, who was accompanied by two of her older brothers, Judith padded her way from the shadows.

"Hello, father," she evenly greeted him, to which his face scrunched up in confusion, sighing in relief and resignation.

"What are you doing out here?" the patriarch Hopps asked in frustration. "One of your sisters saw you coming in the barn with a gun, then heard it go off."

The grey doe froze, unsure how to explain this away. Her mind went into a frenzy, trying to come up with something, anything, that could deter her father and brothers from accidentally finding the wounded fox. Fox or not though, her father was a firm supporter in the South's cause, likely more than happy to dole out judgment on a soldier from the North.

"I… was… trying to scare a flock of birds…" the bunny began, her brain scrambling to piece something together and follow up with sensible reasoning. "I saw a bunch heading in here and didn't want them eating our produce, especially since someone didn't close the barn…"

It was by sheer luck that the most amazing thing happened, favoring the doe. Furst, her father softened his gaze on her, mulling over the idea in retrospect, then turning to one of her brothers accompanying him. The brother's body tensed, eyes darting around and averting as he suddenly looked very… very uncomfortable.

"Marvin… did you forget to close the barn… again?" Judith's father slowly, angrily seethed.

"I'm… sorry?" Marvin squeaked out in sudden fear. The patriarch sighed.

"Just… get it locked up," he chided his son. "Properly." The buck nodded frantically. Stuart then turned back to his daughter, gesturing at the gun. She instantly placed its hurriedly, but still softly, in his paws.

"I would chastise you for taking my gun and not letting anyone else know before paw… but I'm much too tired," remarked her father. "Please make a point to correct that thinking in the future."

"Yes, father," Judith replied in a low voice, turning her head in mock shame. She was just glad that everyone was leaving without a search, distracted by a most fortunate of circumstances.

The next worry she had, was how to slip away to check on the fox without being seen. Annoying or not, she now had an obligation to finish.

* * *

Later that night, Judith snuck away from the house, without a gun this time, and made her way back to the barn.

She thanked the stars above that this one had a side door with a latch, lifting it up and opening the door.

"Nicholas? You still here?" the doe called, ears perked to pinpoint where he was, in case he moved.

"Quite so," the tod evenly replied. "Same place, in case you can't see."

"I can't… can you light the lantern?" She heard him grunt in reply and heard some muttered curses as he tried to strike the rabbit sized matches. A smile broke out on her muzzle, her paw now holding back a giggle as something like, 'Bouncing Blueberries' left his maw as a curse.

Finally though, a flame sparked into existence, growing slowly brighter as the wick in the lantern became encompassed in the fire.

"Who would've known you could lie so well," came Nicholas's voice, his grin barely visible to the bunny in the flickering light of the lantern.

"I have my moments," the grey doe murmured.

"So," the tod began. "Do I get to know your name now?"

The rabbit was rather surprised. She didn't even think he cared. The thought made her a little happy, but she hid it beneath a faux sigh of indifference.

"I suppose… you were a good fox during that whole travesty," she vented slowly.

Nicholas waited patiently, watching with perked ears as the doe took a breath.

"Judith Hopps."

"Please to meet you, Judith," the red fox tod voiced politely, holding out a paw, to which she tentatively shook.

An awkward silence fell between the two, like some sort of muffled cotton barrier.

At least until Nicholas's stomach made an almighty gurgle to signify his extreme hunger. The tod's ears pinned back and the doe's lips turned upward in a wide grin.

Judith belted out a series of strangled laughs, trying her best to keep herself stifled, and failing utterly.

As soon as she snorted, time still as she froze in mortification, to which the fox started laughing in high yips and barks.

"Ugh… you seriously found that funny?" Judith half-heartedly chastised him with a deep blush permeating her cheeks and ears.

"Yes… yes I did."


	2. Chapter II

**Edited by BeecroftA**

 **Ready for another dose of my oddities?**

 **Well…. TOO BAD! Suffer more of my horrendous work and regret ever knowing me!**

 **Mwahahahahaha!**

 **Sorry… I'm off my meds and everything is so purple and pudding. (both good things)**

 **Anywho, Have fun because I know I did. Read, Review, and Enjoy! Also, grab that strange snack. Mine today is purple plum pawpsicles. I made them a thing! They are quite delicious.**

* * *

Groans and wails lined the walls as much as the portraits hung upon the walls themselves. A few dozen mammals lay injured or possibly dying in the main foyer of the Hopps homestead.

Judith attended to a wounded bunny, tan in color and sporting blotches of buttercream fur. The buck's thigh had a stab wound from a bayonet, having caused significant bleeding and missing greatly vital areas, though not precluding death as a close result of the future.

The doe changed his wrappings, seeing the discoloration that marred the edges of his wounds. It was likely an infection accompanied the blade on its way into his flesh, with the current affliction being the result.

Placing a soaked bandage to the exposed injury, the buck thrashed and wailed in kind, biting down on a slat that was effectively placed in his mouth by another sibling of Judith's.

"You should really allow them to catch their breath more easily," chided Heather, a brown doe and Judith's older sister. The younger grey bunny offered a tepid grunt in response. The older rabbit sighed, "You don't need to be so blunt with them…"

"And what good would that do them?" Judith replied with a false grin. "I baby them and give them time enough to steel their nerves, only for those nerves to make the fear of what I'll do worse. Best to get it over with and let them feel relieved, even if a bit annoyed."

"And you wonder why you can't get a buck…" Heather sassed to her sister. The violet eyed doe let loose a short laugh.

"None of them could handle me," she jibed to no one in particular. The brown rabbit chuckled, rolling her eyes at her sister.

"Who could then?" Heather asked her. The two were now carrying baskets of leftover materials, having helped who they could and walking off to dispose of what they needed to. "You don't exactly entertain a lot of courting offers."

"That is because I am not afforded the respect I believe all of us does deserve," Judith retorted. "We're not all some females who are going to wait on them, paw and foot, willing to make them dinner and rub their feet just because they expect it."

"Fair enough," was her sister's reply. Her hazel eyes became curious and inquisitive as she looked to her younger sibling. "So… what kind of male _would_ interest you?"

The grey doe drew in a breath…

* * *

Judith groaned, a long and drawn out release of breath following.

She was carrying a small crate full of tools. The thing was small but heavy for its size. The grey doe had to kick in the door of the barn to properly make her way inside, the door nearly falling apart as the hinges creaked.

"Quite a kick you've got there," voiced a slightly pleasant, but recently increasingly annoying fox. Nicholas steadied himself from a leaning position, using a crutch tucked under his arm to limp over to the bunny doe. He reached out with a good paw, attempting to take the item from her. She twisted to the side, rebuking him and his offer to assist her.

"I can take care of this myself," Judith told the red fox. He chuckled.

"Alright then," the tod responded, shrugging his unoccupied shoulder. "For all your effort, I wanted to ease your burden." Judith stopped and gave him a once over.

The past week had been rather… interesting for the conflicted doe. Attending to his injuries as she had was nowhere near the infuriation that she expected it to be. Despite their meeting, the fox was oddly polite and respectful, excepting the occasional sass and joking remark at her expense. She was quite used to hearing such things, but usually in reference to herself in a more… disrespectful manner.

Nicholas was certainly mindful of his words and actions around her, not that he had much room to enact the latter. His wound would open back up if he moved around too much.

The barn they were in now was a completely different one to the barn that the fox and bunny met in previously. Being closer to the warren, it would have been visited often. That's especially so, considering that a whole lot of produce was being stored in it. Her family wouldn't leave the produce there for long and the tod had no real means to remain stealthy for the long period of time he would need for proper healing.

The very next night, Judith helped the poor fox trudge and shuffle his way to another farm on a portion of her family's stead that was not in use. When asked, the doe merely said it was a rotating crops thing, explaining in short that certain crops were planted for the purpose of revitalizing the soil for future use. In this instance, clovers lined the fields around the barn and would for the current season, needing little attendance or general watering.

That made it the smart choice to attend to Nicholas. None of her family would need or care to visit the barn, save for some strange circumstance that she hoped wouldn't arise.

Currently, Judith's reason for coming here was finding replacement tools from one of the old barns to replace the ones that were a bit worn, of which she brought within the small crate.

She was wearing an apron over her summer dress, setting down the crate to dust it off. The bunny doe then reached into the pouch on the apron to pull out a small sack of food.

"And give you further reason to be cared for by me by extending your stay? I think not," the grey rabbit snarked at him. Letting out a scoffing snicker, Nicholas held out his paws for the food, having settled into his impromptu chair made of a pile of hay and a wood board settled on top. "Sorry I can't provide you with anything… meaty… but you know."

The red fox began to pop in some blueberries from the sack, giving Judith his own once over and shrugging. Taking a few seconds to devour food and satisfy his complaining stomach, the fox tod swallowed.

"It matters little," he stated, brushing off her worry. "Not every predator needs to eat meat all the time. I'm perfectly fine without it for a long while." Nicholas dove into the bag, pulling out a pretty generous piece of fresh bread and giving it aggressive bites.

Judith was suddenly thrown into a tense and anxious state, having never really seen a predator's fangs so closely before. Now, they were in full view with every open maw bite that the fox had of his food, sinking his long canines into the crust of his bread, or flesh of an apple, after he'd devoured the bread. A mixture of fear and tentative curiosity pervaded her mind.

On one paw, she'd been taught all her life that predators were not exactly to be trusted and were all aggressive, impatient, and prone to savage outbursts mammals. On the other paw, she hadn't much actual exposure to other predators. So, the sight of fangs was something of a discoverable experience. Her eyes locked onto the pearly white fangs as she gulped slightly.

"See something you like?" came the jarring statement from the fox, snapping Judith into awareness and nearly falling over. She hadn't noticed the tod staring at her own gaze. Words failed her as she murmured to herself and felt like a young kit with her paw caught stealing cookies or some such sweets from the kitchen.

"I…" Judith mustered, "...it… I haven't seen fangs often. Not this close."

"Oh?" came his short inquiry. "Haven't met many predators I take it?" The grey bunny nodded slowly, eyes narrowed a bit, making Nicholas hum in amusement. "You're not missing much. We're all the same really. Some of us just have bigger claws, bigger ears, or even smaller hearts, but personalities are pretty much similar things across the board."

"Ha! In comparison to all the bucks who vie for my attention, you are far more polite and respectful," the doe began, with the red fox raising a brow in interest. "And all that even considering I shot you." Judith started laughing hysterically. Wiping a tear she looked over to Nicholas, saying, "Sorry… I'm not laughing at that…"

His grin turned devious, eyes falling into a half-lidded gaze.

"Sounds like you have an interest in this fox," the tod mentioned. And it wasn't a question. "And I know."

Judith blushed profusely, aiming an accusing paw at the smugly smirking mammal before her. It shook as the fox merely grinned at her, never faltering in his piercing gaze.

"That is NOT what I said," Judith seethed. "I never said I was attracted to you, you...arrogant idiot."

Nicholas barked a good, throaty laugh, full of mirth and amusement, his eyes turning a bit devious as he calmed down after.

"While that's a shame, since I actually find you quite entrancing," the tod divulged without any shame or real filter. "I never said anything about attraction. Just interest." The grey bunny doe was suddenly shocked into speechlessness, woefully flabbergasted by the unabashed admission of the fox she was taking care of. Her own slip up on the mix up of her wording also jammed the gears in her head from turning properly. Much to her reluctance, the rabbit's cheeks and ears started burning, suffusing with a surplus of blood and infuriating her further.

"How… but I'm…" she stuttered out, eyes unable to properly look at the fox, whom she knew was still gazing at her with that teasing grin.

"A bunny? Yeah, I noticed," Nicholas supplied, seemingly unwavered by her flustered state. "Why shouldn't I find you appealing to look at?"

Judith could barely help herself as frantic denial took over, her voice breaking as she spoke, "Because it's… not right."

"It's left?"

"There's quite the size difference…"

"I can stoop down to make somebunny feel taller."

"There's a lot of hate and opposition for it…"

"Eh… I've always been a good swimmer. I can fight the current."

"You just have an answer to everything, don't you?" inquired Judith, her voice full of sincerity.

"And you're acting like I proclaimed my undying love for you," retorted Nicholas. "I only said I found you entrancing and appealing. Leave those other concerns for if you actually try courting a fox or something." His tone sounded a bit devoid of his usual energy as he went on, making the rabbit feel a bit guilty at her over-reactive statements and assumptions.

She tried to reach out to place a paw on the tod's shoulder, wincing slightly as he shirked away from her in response. He turned over, putting his back to her as he found a position lying on his side. A large amount of hay with a thick sheet over it had become his bed for the time being. Another week and Judith figured he would be able to walk or even run properly on his own.

A look to the light bleeding between the wood boards making up the walls told the doe that dusk was quickly approaching. She chose to murmur a 'good night' and take her leave, feeling rather ashamed of her short outbursts.

* * *

Judith tossed and turned in her bed, the recent smell of a blown out candle smoldering the air. A small and well worn book lay on her night stand. She desperately tried to take her mind off her fresh faux paw by reading, but could barely get through two words without feeling a massive headache from attempting to go further.

The moon was rather bright this night, at its apex and waxing to near its fullest, giving the bunny a very clear view out her window. While far off, the doe could see the barn that Nicholas was residing in. She clutched a paw to her chest, a dull pain only supplementing her guilt.

In all seriousness, Judith hadn't actually said much, but she knew something in there probably felt like salt on the wound for the fox.

Flashes of light cascaded in the distance, a faint echo of small pops reaching her ears. The grey doe tensed up and bolted to sit upright. Nearly tripping over herself to reach the window, she pressed her paws against it and looked out, attempting to strain her vision to its upper limit. More flashes followed by resounding pops made her ears twitch.

Suddenly, much larger flashes reached her eyes, with pervading booms resounding across the fields.

Cannonfire.

A night battle was happening on the clover fields. It wasn't unheard of. With enough mammals in a garrison that had night vision, opposing armies would attempt to take advantage of that fact and meet on the battlefield to exert that potential edge.

Judith's legs became locked in nervousness, as the idea that Nicholas's current abode could be threatened by all the fighting. All these flashes and cannon fire were dangerously close to the barn.

Each resounding pop and boom set her teeth on edge as she despaired over the decision to pursue him. The grey doe was determined to keep him safe and promote his recovery, so she couldn't just leave him.

The rabbit didn't have time to contemplate why a battle was ensuing directly on her family's farm as she bolted from her room in a rush, attempting some guise of stealth by avoiding letting her claws skitter over the floor. The members of her family that were still awake were finding a place in the warren to hunker down, knowing full well that keeping close to walls or windows might expose them to stray gunfire.

Keeping clear of common areas and the hallways with rooms full of other siblings, Judith made her way as hastily as she could muster to the back door. The door would have noisily creaked, had the doe pulled it open slowly, but her jerky tug only let a short and low grind sound out. Having the presence of mind to close the door without slamming it, she then turned on her heel and ran in a dead sprint towards the battlefield.

Judith hadn't run this hard since she was a kit trying to make the dinner call from the edge of the property, quickly resulting in her panting and heart wrenching pain as she pushed herself further. The sharp pops and bangs of gunfire became louder as she drew closer to the barn, her vision aided by the waxing moon.

A large boom from a cannon reverberated across the field, making the small doe crouch down in response and cover her ears. The echoing thrum faded away over several seconds, sounding like rolling thunder on a stormy night. Before the next could go off, Judith slicked her ears back to keep the sound from stunning her like that again.

It felt like an eternity approaching the barn, not even wasting time to somehow let Nicholas know it was her as she barreled through the door. The click of a cocked gun reached her once again raised ears, turning to see the fox's prone form aiming a gun in her direction before his features softened.

"Rabbit…" he sighed in exasperation, lifting the barrel of the gun away from the bunny's direction, "You will be the death of me."

"Funny… I thought I was the one with a gun pointed at me," Judith sassed at him, slightly out of breath and recovering. A stray round from a rifle burst through a wood slat in the wall of the barn, kicking up hay from a bale as it embedded in it. Both mammals turned to survey the damage, scowls apparent on both muzzles. "We need to get you out of here."

Nicholas grunted as he lifted himself up to stand, gesturing around the barn, saying, "Where? From what I could see when I peeked out earlier, we're pretty much surrounded. I'm not even sure how you got by without drawing attention to yourself."

"All the more reason we leave… NOW," the doe stated in finality. It didn't quite take as effectively as she would've thought, with the tod shaking his head and settling in, holstering his revolver once more.

"I don't think so," he breathed. "I'm pretty sure this place, as old as it is, has a much better chance of protecting me from rifle fire. Outside, I wouldn't rely on the stray tall piece of grass or the gentle sway of the breeze to protect me from a potential cannonball. You know what they do to a mammal like me?"

The rabbit scowled further at him.

"Let's just say I'll be less mammal than I was before."

Judith was tempted to call him a coward, but still felt quite emotionally sore from her recent guilt over the things she said before. She took a deep breath and figured it wouldn't do well to hold back now.

"I'm sorry," the grey doe simply stated. "I didn't mean to insult you with the things I said before. They were rude and insensitive…" The red fox appeared ready to respond to her, until she continued from having trailed off. "But right now, I would prefer to keep you alive and well. It was my fault you were injured and I'll be darned if my actions get you killed here because you couldn't properly escape. We're going and I'm helping you. Or… I could stay here and chance the gunfire, same as you."

Silence would have permeated the barn, if not for the shouts, cries, shots, and thunderous impacts of cannonballs hitting the ground nearby. Nicholas's eyes darted around, seemingly mulling over her words and figuring a way out of this mess. The rabble outside grew ever louder, letting them both know that the fighting was likely closing in on their location. It was a smart choice, seeing as the troops of either side could use the barn and surrounding equipment laying around as cover.

The fox tod finally let out a groan, getting up and pointing to Judith as he said, "You're trying to kill me aren't you?" The bunny shrugged, withholding a grin she wanted to display at the small victory.

"Didn't I already try and fail at that?" she questioned sarcastically.

"Angel and a demon," Nicholas muttered with a light chuckle, gathering himself and shaking his head as he started walking for the door. The grey bunny doe helped him, though he had been faring quite well on his own, if he didn't push it. "Let's go then, shall we?"

Judith nodded, both mammals opening the door and making a break for the unkempt brush a few dozen yards away. The doe was grateful for the slower pace, but was greatly fearful of stray rounds piercing her flesh. The same trepidation made her keep her ears down to avoid that end. The fox tod kept a good pace, heaving his breaths in pain, but focused and determined on reaching the brush.

A thunderous boom shook the very air, followed by a very high pitched whistle and resulting impact of a cannonball. The two looked back very briefly, but didn't need to look very long. The shell bounced from the ground blasting through the side of the barn and making a ruckus inside.

Not a few short seconds later, a large portion of the barn exploded outward in a spray of fire, hay, and splintered wood. Luckily, it was focused on the other side of the building, but the fox and bunny took to the ground all the same.

Judith was more or less thrown under Nicholas, with his body curled over hers and keeping her protected from any falling debris.

"Can you stop being right?" the tod snarked shakily, trying to exude some level of calm and collected nature. "I'm starting to really feel like a dumb fox here." A light chuckle followed from his maw, the breath tickling the doe's ears pleasantly.

"Yeah… that's… let's keep moving then," she spoke, gently pushing the fox to his feet and reestablishing her support. "I don't mind the closeness presently… but I prefer to be out of the firing line before letting our fur meet."

"Are you seriously making those jokes? Now?"

"Just shut up and move it," Judith demanded of him with a nervous smile.

The duo made their way into the brush, crouching low to crawl on all fours and avoid the ensuing battle closing in around them. If both could make it out of the center of the conflict, it would be so much easier to follow the treeline to another barn and let him recover there.

Nicholas had wondered why there were so many barns, but his intuitive nature, and mentions from the grey rabbit helping him along, told him that with all the siblings she had and massive amount of land to work, it was prudent of them to have various barns to store equipment nearby.

"Nicholas," the rabbit called out to him, making him turn his head to Judith, who was looking in his general direction but not entirely focused on him. "I need help finding the barn itself."

"You were doing fine before," he fired back softly. "What could have changed to affect your…." He stopped talking upon seeing the grey doe's paw extended up, a digit pointing at the sky. The tod entertained her, scanning the sky.

"Oh," was his only reply. Cloud cover had set in, obscuring the moon from painting the fields in its glow. It made sense now. With the light from the moon above diffused by the clouds, it was all that much harder for a bunny like Judith to see. "Alright, keep a hold of me and… don't. Let. go."

Grasping his paw with her own, Nicholas could see her nod. Limping along, keeping as much weight off his injured side that he could, the fox pulled out his service revolver, cocking the hammer back. He didn't want to chance being confronted by another armed soldier separated from the garrison. Even if it happened to be one his own, the possibility of a misfire from fear of being shot was too high.

"We're going to the barn nearer to the house," Judith explained. "Anything further away is too much a distance to walk to and I don't know where all the fighting has spread to."

"Got any path I can follow? I see a few barns from here."

"Uh… yeah. I think it's the one that has a skewed wind vale," the bunny revealed, gesturing out towards the general direction of a barn that was closer than the rest. Nicholas saw it. The wind vale twisted in the light night breeze, turning just enough to show its deformity.

"Got it."

The red fox picked up the pace, his pain less of a problem as before. It was like the workout and adrenaline was making things easier to take for now.

It felt far shorter than their previous journeys, with the barn approaching at a much more decent pace.

"Finally," he sighed. "I think I can feel my wound giving me trouble now." A short laugh escaped him.

Judith was about say something, the light from the moon coming back as the clouds made way, when a large, blunt, object swung through the air and cracked across the back of the fox's head.

He fell in a slump on the ground, a few feet short of the barn door, much to the doe's horror. Turning about and looking for the source of the strike, Judith was shocked to see her father standing over her and the tod.

"Are you alright, Judith?" he cooed to her, helping the younger rabbit up. She nodded, still stunned as to what had happened and why. Not only why her father knocked him out but why he was out here in the first place.

"How?" was all she asked. The elder Hopps pulled his daughter into a hug.

"I saw you from the house being pulled around by that filth…" Her father mentioned. "I don't know how he got a hold of you but you're safe now. We'll take care of him." Judith's eyes went wide with worry at her parent's insinuation.

"What do you mean? Aren't we just going to kick him out? Send him back to his troops?"

"Of course not!" he fired back, voice laced with venom. "He threatened one of my daughters… so, he'll face my justice."

A lump formed in the grey rabbit's throat, her vision able to see a couple of her siblings closing in with rifles. Before she could properly protest, something else in her mind proposed a more sensible idea, so she stayed quiet.

"Tie him up, boys," the elder Hopps commanded his sons, as they came in close. They slung their rifles over their shoulders, pulling out rope and tying the tod's wrists together in front of him.

An empty eyed stare was cast down from Judith's father onto the red fox in a heap as he spoke in a low, menacing tone, "Keep this cur locked in the cellar until the battle is over… then we'll hang him."

Judith's paws clenched on her skirt, mind racing. She had to come up with a plan…

Or Nicholas would lose his life because of her.


	3. Chapter III

**Edited by Cimar**

 **DrekkDeina here.**

 **Or over there…. I'm really not sure. I recently got my mind blown apart by a really good stack of blueberry pancakes and I think bits and pieces of said mind are all over the walls and such.**

 **Anywho, I hope I didn't disappoint. Not gonna pretend all of you will like my style of writing or my jokes/strange plot devices, but I do hope I entertained you all the same.**

 **If not… well better luck with the next author. XD**

 **And now, enjoy, read, review, fav, follow, and grab that strange snack. I tried these meatballs deep fried in batter with crushed nuts in it. Rather delicious.**

 **Now I present the finale to my little What If segment.** _ **Gestures wildely.**_

* * *

A fog obscured his vision, a headache coursing through him like a storm across the landscape.

Lifting his head, Nicholas tried to clear away his eyes, still adapting to the new environment and pervading pain in his cranium.

The light wasn't bright but, with his head aching as it did, the candle burning dimly felt like the glaring sun.

He was in a dirt caked room, probably underground or at least sunken into the soil. The upper half of the walls were actual wood instead of dirt and stone. Nicholas surmised this was a small room within a cellar. Only one door led out and shelves were mounted on the upper portions of the walls. Nothing was in there, but fresh drag marks on the shelves from dust said it was emptied in a hurry to hold him.

There were also indentations in the floor from crates and barrels that had been removed. All that occupied the space now was himself and a small table with the candle on it.

Before the tod could examine the room further, footsteps could be heard coming his way. He looked around in a panic, quickly trying to decide his course of action. If he pretended to be unconscious still and fight back, he might have little clue how to get out of his current predicament. Rabbit warrens were notably large and winding in design. He might get captured once more or just disposed of. Not a pretty thought. His other most prevalent option was to remain visibly awake and see if they would escort him somewhere else.

He froze. Then again, Nicholas hadn't much of a clue how he ended up here or if this was even a rabbit's warren.

The red fox decided the latter course of action was best. At least he could learn something or delay until he had a more solid plan.

The sound of a large wooden bar being lifted from the outside tickled Nicholas's ears. A couple errant grunts joined the mix, with the door shaking on its old hinges.

The door swung open to reveal a few younger bucks and one older, heavily disgruntled one. The younger ones all had pitchforks or rifles trained in his direction, looking for any excuse to 'defend' themselves.

"So, you're awake," he gruffly mentioned, more to himself than anyone else. "You have some nerve, taking my daughter hostage and trespassing our land."

"I was only transporting a correspondence to my troops," the tod began to explain, quickly piecing together something that left out Judith's involvement in hurting and helping him. "Your daughter was in the line of fire, for reasons I haven't the slightest clue, and I tried to escort her back to the house."

The older bunny pulled out an envelope, the wax seal broken on it. He waved it around with a smug expression. Flipping open the flap and taking out the letter, he unfolded it to read it aloud. Nicholas stepped forward reflexively, feeling dutiful obligation to protect the information.

He gulped when every armed rabbit narrowed their eyes in warning, tightening their hold on their respective arms aiming more accurately on the fox. A familiar click sounded as Nicholas looked down to see his own service revolver being lazily aimed at his abdomen by the cantankerous old bunny. With his paws up in surrender, the tod slowly stepped back again.

Clearing his throat, the patriarch Hopps began to read, "Dear Major Lionheart, it appears that the rebel scum has raided our latest supply convoy and stolen a fair amount of our new explosive ordinance for cannons. Be warned of the danger and try to plan accordingly. Signed… some mammal I don't care about." While the last part was obviously not to script, the information did make the fox feel a sense of failure. It was too late to matter telling anyone now, if the barn exploding was any indication of that fact.

Upon remaining silent, the elder bunny chose to speak once more, "If I even believed you were 'saving' my daughter, which I don't, it doesn't change the fact you are with the North. We're not exactly on their side and I'm not letting even one of their troops go back. You'll be hanged later." As if that were the final word, he left, taking his entourage of sons with him.

He mumbled something to the effect of 'No northern fox cur touches my daughter and gets away with it…' as he walked away and around the corner. The door was once again barred shut.

Nicholas probably should've felt some burgeoning sense of horror bearing down upon him, but all he felt was an empty pit at having failed at every turn. Shot by a rabbit in defense of her farm, delayed from delivering his correspondence and possibly labeled as a deserter, and now sentenced to death outside legal boundaries by a family whose loyalties lie with the opposing side.

As if on cue at the peak of his disparaging thoughts, the bar scraped the door on the other side as it was lifted. Small grunts and other such sounds leaked through the door, several seconds passing by before the door finally opened to reveal a smaller, panting rabbit in very loose overalls and a straw hat pulled low on their face. A glint of violet caught the red fox's eye.

He remained silent, taking in the tray of food the buck appeared to be carrying. The tod then eyed the open door, seeing an opportunity to just walk out. There didn't appear to be anyone guarding the door. The fox could only assume they thought the bar would do. His nose twitched as he caught a most familiar scent, rolling his eyes in response as he smiled. Tilting his head, Nicholas stared with a contemplative look at the smaller 'buck' in his presence.

"Who do you think you're fooling with that get up?" he bluntly inquired, watching in slight amusement as Judith tensed up upon setting the tray down on the table.

"Well not you… that's for certain," she sighed. "How did you know?" the grey doe removed her straw hat, tossing it aside for the time being.

"Well most 'bucks' don't have hips like yours, loose clothing or not," jibed Nicholas, feeling a sense of humor returning. Judith placed her paws on her hips, as if somehow covering her shame. The tod laughed in kind to her reaction. "Also, your scent is something I've come to know for the past week and such. Hard to miss now that I have it imprinted in my memory." The bunny's ears perked and her face twisted in an odd expression.

"I thought one could only imprint on a fox through something familial…" she began, seeing the red fox open his maw to say something, before she continued, "...or a potential mate." Nicholas went eerily quiet and closed his mouth, turning to the side and averting his eyes.

"What are you here for?" he deflected, ears flicking in annoyance, whether at himself or Judith was unclear. "I doubt you're going to try sneaking me out past what I would guess is half your siblings."

"No…" the doe breathed. "I had a different idea, but I need your help to pull it off." The tod knelt down, plucking a biscuit from the tray and giving it an aggressive tear with his teeth.

"Prey tell, funny bunny," Nicholas snarked. "What could I possibly do for you?"

"Get hanged."

Instead of gagging, sputtering, or showing any real dramatic reaction to the statement, the red fox tod barked out a short laugh and set the remains of his unfinished biscuit down, eyeing the violet orbs of the grey bunny with a devious grin.

"I'm all ears, Sweetheart."

* * *

Nicholas did _not_ feel as strangely confident as he did before about his involvement in the supposed plan that Judith had concocted. Too many things could go wrong and too many factors were dependent on him trusting her beyond what he usually could muster in that respect.

The red fox was being escorted through the warren by two bucks, with a few others bringing up the rear, guns pointed at his back. His paws were bound from the front, another rabbit tugging at a rope attached to the bindings and walking just forward of him. For the bunny doe's plan to work, he couldn't resist in the slightest. That might make her siblings or father suspend all due ceremony and just shoot him. The hanging would be a public spectacle and that meant everyone was watching.

He gulped and tried to walk slower, earning himself a prod in the back with a rifle from behind.

"Easy on the back!" he shot back, briefly disarming the offending buck… metaphorically. "If I'm going to die, I'd like to do so in _pristine_ condition." Surprisingly, the bunny buck backed off and gave him leeway enough to not be stabbed by a rifle barrel. "Thanks," the fox murmured with sincerity.

After several minutes, many twists and turns through the underground tunnels, and the many treading steps from dirt caked burrows to more civilized constructed flooring, Nicholas finally saw the shreds of sunlight from outside. From the angle on the floor and ambient light outside, he assumed it was near high noon, if not a little before.

He didn't get to enjoy the indoor decorum of the homestead for long, being shoved out into the open via a side door, leading into an open clearing with a well constructed gallows displayed in the open, with an overhanging tree providing shade. The tod figured it would look hastily made and poorly crafted. It was actually quite meticulously done, though that sentiment did nothing to dissuade the lump in his throat.

"You guys work fast, huh?" Nicholas snarked with a nervous chuckle. "My guys can't even pitch a tent without spending hours arguing over where to put the darn stakes."

"Families as big as ours can usually construct something pretty quick when we need it," a buck to his side said plainly.

"And you consider this a necessity…?" the tod inquired, nodding sarcastically.

"Just get up there," another rabbit ordered.

The red fox complied, though trepidatiously so, trudging up the steps and taking his position over the trap door. Another bunny stepped up to a stool, to reach his neck, and roped the noose around it.

"Ugh… I hate neckwear," Nicholas muttered. "I imagine this is how some mammals who hate wearing ties feel like. I like it a little loose." The tod barked a laugh. "Ha! Loose the noose."

In response, as if to spite him, the rabbit getting him all set up tightened the rope around his neck.

Looking around, Nicholas could see the damage from the attempted night raid. It was unclear who actually won the night, with equal spots of Southern gray uniforms contrasting the Northern blues lying across the battlefield. Smoke billowed from the remains of the burnt out barn that was hit, while smoldering spots pitted the fields around the decimated structure.

A group of bunnies was gathering, mainly consisting of the males and a few of the older females. No kits were present, as far as Nicholas could see. That was one good sign. Wouldn't be very nice to make kits witness this type of thing as some sort of entertainment or rite of passage.

Either way, Nicholas's eyes were able to make flickering looks up to the overhanging tree. While he couldn't see what the bunny had set up for her plan, he could see the glint of her amethyst eyes with his cursory glance. She was there, waiting in the tree.

"Now then," a voice cut through the murmur of the gathering, "I, Stuart Hopps, am here to condemn this trespasser to death by hanging." The fox couldn't resist, clearing his throat and cutting off the older rabbit.

"What a coincidence!" Nicholas exclaimed. "My name is Stuart, too! Stuart Pidd, but you can call me Stu for short."

"Stu…. Pidd?" the elder buck said slowly in inquiry. "Stu Pidd…" A disturbing scowl warped the features on his muzzle, paw gripping the lever to the trapdoor and bracing it with a venomous stare towards the fox that ired him so. "Anymore jokes, fox?"

"Well actually I have one mo…"

Stuart pulled the lever back with a deadpan expression, clearly done with the tod's antics.

The trapdoor released and dropped Nicholas through the gap, with him bracing for the inevitable…

There was a pull and a snap.

"Oh by the blazes it worked!" the red fox bellowed with a pervading sense of relief. All in audience to the happenstance were justly confused. Nicholas, however, wasted no time, taking the knife tucked in a hollow behind a support and cut his bindings from his wrists.

Judith had worn down and pre cut the rope used for his hanging, making it so that a sufficient force would instantly snap it. All he felt was a slight tug on his neck until only a few pounds of force strained what was left from near the source to break.

Looking up above, he saw the grey doe sling down on a rope of her own, the force of which was pulling several small strings and unraveling sacks hanging from various branches. Bursting forth from the sacks, was flour. With a moderate breeze and the height they were placed, the flour exploded outwards in a white cloud.

The swinging bunny let go of her rope on its downward arc and rolled under the gallows' decking with Nicholas.

"That should cover us," Judith told him, looking him up and down. "So, we won't have to outrun them too hard with your recovering wound. Now, let's go." The tod nodded and both took off.

The flour 'smoke' cloud covered the area, with various rabbits yelling and rushing around to find the fox. Looking back, he saw the encompassing cloud was quite dense and far stretched.

"Goodness," he breathed. "How much flour did you use and how did you get them up there?" Nicholas breathed steadily, his wound aching but not threatening to open up. He felt he was keeping a good pace, though he knew that once they were out of danger, he was going to collapse with a purpose.

"I honestly don't remember, but each bag was like… twenty-five pounds?" the doe panted while running alongside him. "I spent all night stringing them up. Just glad my family was too scared to come outside and see me, with that battle going on."

They cut through the dirt roads nearby and made their way into the corn fields that stood tall. It would be easiest to lose their tail in there and avoid being shot, at least for Nicholas. He wasn't even sure why Judith was accompanying him. It wasn't like they knew it was her who did all this. She was the victim to her father.

"Why are you coming with me?" the red fox asked, with the two running at a far less frantic pace. With how far away all the shouting sounded, it appeared that they were unseen in their escape. Flour in the eyes must be pretty uncomfortable, he wanted to surmise.

"Why do I need a reason?" the fiery bunny sassed back at him. "Maybe a doe wants a little adventure."

"Fair enough."

The rest of their run was made in relative quiet. It wasn't too long, thankfully for Nicholas's aching side, before the duo reached a river with a rather steady flow and steep banks. There was a small raft down by the bank, tied to a large stone and bobbing with the current.

"Our chariot awaits," Judith stated between heaving breaths. "I know it's not exactly…"

"...a real boat?" the red fox tod finished for her. She nodded with a shrug. "Yeah, I've slept on a literal bed of dirt and moss. As long as I can collapse on that thing in peace, I only care that it floats." Gesturing to the craft, the fox and rabbit boarded it without another second's delay.

It was old looking but sturdy as well, with tied together logs and a short mast protruding from the center. The mast had a small canvas rolled up on the boom, looking more worn than the raft. A small rudder bobbed at the rear, waiting for a mammal to pilot it. The tod assumed it was used to traverse the river from bank to bank.

Disengaging from the coast, both mammals began to steady themselves on either side, letting the current take them downriver.

As he had claimed, Nicholas collapsed in a heap on his back, heaving and holding his side.

"I'm sorry," the doe vented out in a flushed breath. "I know you still need to heal."

"Well… a broken neck has a pretty long recovery time by comparison, so, I'm fine with this."

Judith began to snicker and giggle, a much warmer smile light up her face than the previous several days combined. It spread like a welcome infection to the tod's muzzle, making him smile as well.

"So," he began, "what now for you?"

"Pfft…" came the odd noise, her mind now clear enough to think that possibility through. "I have no clue. Once my family figures out I did all this, I'll either be disowned or trapped in that house forever. I'm not entertaining either of those ends… so… anything else. You?"

"Well," Nicholas started, "I'm pretty sure by now, that I'm either labeled as a deserter or just dead. Maybe both. My superiors never really liked me anyways. I think I'll shed this uniform and huff it with you, if you're willing."

"I'll agree to that, on one condition."

The red fox groaned, "What would that be?" He closed his eyes for a brief moment, expecting to hear some strange but possibly reasonable demands.

The tod was shocked into opening his eyes rather abruptly, when the grey doe cast a shadow over him, pressing her lips to his in a short kiss. If he hadn't been lying down, Nicholas might have needed the respite, with the way he felt breathless.

Judith leaned back, sitting with her legs together and eyes giving him a curious look of expectation. Not wanting to disappoint, the tod leaned up, supporting himself on his elbows and gave the violet eyed bunny a roguish, lopsided grin.

"Are you saying…"

"Yes."

"And now you want…"

"Yes."

"So, does that make us…"

"Nope."

"What?" the fox sputtered in disbelief. "But… you just kissed me."

"Oh, don't get me wrong," the grey doe told him, "I do think you are rather… handsome, but I'm not that easy. You have to work for it."

Nicholas flopped back onto the raft with a groaning sigh.

"You are a demon and an angel." Her warm laugh followed, joining the calming sound of the water, as it flowed and sparkled in the sunlight.

"Yeah, but I'd like to think I'm…"

"Worth it," the red fox tod finished. "Yes… yes you are. Now where is this thing heading?"

"I have absolutely no clue," Judith unabashedly admitted.

"Of course," Nicholas replied with all due sass, the two contentedly smiling as the raft drifted almost aimlessly along the river.

* * *

The simulation ended and both fox and bunny lifted off the headsets to stare in silent contentedness.

"You were very sweet and sour in that one," Nick mentioned bluntly.

"Shut up, you're making me hungry," Judy told him, grabbing her fox's paw.

She saw him tugging at his tie for a few seconds as they got out of the P.I.X.A.R. machine.

"Why are you doing that?" she asked simply, raising a brow.

"I suddenly feel the urge to not wear this thing now…" was the tod's murmured response. "But… uh… food? Right. I know a place."

"Ugh… no, Nick. Not another one of your 'friends'. Last one was a bit iffy and I am pretty sure I got food poisoning from them."

"Fine," relented the red fox. "What do you want?"

"Brownies…" Judy said, nearly drooling.

"Brownies? For a meal?"

She locked her gaze with his, sternly boring her violet stare with his emerald one.

"Brownies."

Nick let out a deep breath, saying, "Brownies it is."

* * *

 **Now I haven't a clue how many of you have already read this in the What If thingy... but I was a bit... late... in posting it to my own account. Haha.**

 **Anywho, I might extend this story with the future, but for all intents and purposes, do not expect much. At least... don't expect much in the near future. I have so many other projects to do and this story will be marked as complete for now.**

 **I do hope to have entertained and am working on another What If segment written by yours truly. XD**


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